THE wreck of Henry V's warship the Holigost has been found buried deep in the mud of a Hampshire river - after it was spotted in an aerial photograph.

Earmarked as one of medieval England's greatest ships, it was the second of four 'great ships' built for Henry's campaign against the French in the Hundred Years War.

After being lost for hundreds of years, detailed archival and aerial photographic research carried out by British maritime historian, Ian Friel, has now pinpointed a 30 metres stretch of the River Hamble near Southampton as the final resting place.

Dr Friel spotted the area while studying grainy aerial pictures of a medieval breaker's yard at Burseldon where Henry's own flagship The Grace Dieu had been found in the 1930s.

Historic England, the Government's historic environment agency, is now planning to carry out a detailed survey of the ship.

They intend to use sonar-based sub-bottom profiling equipment to x-ray through a deep mud to create computerised images of the vessel.

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The 600-year-old ship that helped Henry V wage war on France

I am utterly delighted that Historic England is assessing the site for protection and undertaking further study

Historian Ian Friel

Dr Friel said: "I am utterly delighted that Historic England is assessing the site for protection and undertaking further study.

"In my opinion, further research leading to the rediscovery of the Holigost would be even more important than the identification of the Grace Dieu in the 1930s.

"The Holigost fought in two of the most significant naval battles of the Hundred Years War, battles that opened the way for the English conquest of northern France."

While Dr Friel studied the photographs, he spotted a U-shaped outline close to the timbers of the famed English carrack, which was barely visible beneath the surface at low tide.

And further searches through records at the time revealed the Holigost had been laid up at the site.

The historian, who at the time was working at the Archaeological Research Centre at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, then visited the site where he and archaeologists made the fascinating discovery beneath the surface.

But there was never enough funding to launch a full investigation.

However, Dr Friel has now persuaded Historic England to investigate the shipwreck.

The Holigost joined the royal fleet on 17 November 1415 and took part in operations between 1416 and 1420, including two of the most significant naval battles of The Hundred Years War.

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The name of the ship is derived from Henry V’s personal devotion to the Holy Trinity

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It served as the flagship of the Duke of Bedford at the battle of Harfleur in 1416, suffering serious damage, and was in the thick of the fighting off the Chef de Caux in 1417. It was also used in missions led by the Earls of Devon and Dorset.

It had been rebuilt from a large Spanish ship called the Santa Clara that was captured in late 1413 or early 1414 and then acquired by the English Crown.

The name of the ship is derived from Henry V’s personal devotion to the Holy Trinity.

The ship had a crew of 200 sailors in 1416, but also carried large numbers of soldiers to war, as many as 240 in one patrol.

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The ship had a crew of 200 sailors in 1416

It carried seven cannons but also bows and arrows, poleaxes and spears, along with 102 ‘gads’, which are iron spears thrown from the top deck that could easily penetrate the body armour of the period.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England believes that the wreck of the Holigost "holds the possibility of fascinating revelations in the months and years to come".

He added: "The Battle of Agincourt is one of those historic events that has acquired huge national significance.

"To investigate a ship from this period close to the six hundredth anniversary is immensely exciting.

"It holds the possibility of fascinating revelations in the months and years to come. Historic England is committed to realising the full potential of the find."